Pork Chop Milanese with Arugula Salad

I’m sure you’ve seen the video (Yes people. We are talking VHS here. Old school, I know. But think back, back, way back.) Made in the eighties. Shown to every high school kid in an attempt to scare them into not getting pregnant before the age of 18. Or ever. As the case may be. (And the US government wonders why our birth rates are so much lower than those in third world countries. They don’t have VHS players. Coincidence? I think not.)

I’ve never seen it. Actually. Which is probably why I remained so optimistic about this whole giving birth. Thing. “Yup mom, no problemo. I will just pop out those kids during the PhD part of this whole process (husband or NOT – she didn’t like that very much) and fed-ex them to you. No, you don’t need to come pick them up. I know it’s only a ten minute drive, but you’ll have to pay tolls, deal with traffic, it’ll be an ordeal. We’ll just overnight ’em.”

That was the plan. Was. Being the operative word here.

Until I was required to watch a real. Live. Birth.

Which here at New York Presbyterian is actually more likely than not to be a real. Live. C section. (Who can be bothered with natural birth anymore? It’s so…inconvenient. You just never know when it’s going to happen. You might have to wait the full 42 weeks. Or worse. More.)

I was fine with the C section itself, actually. I’ve seen enough fascia and visceral pleura in my life (or in the past six weeks) to just kind of shrug my shoulders at the whole thing.

What really got me. Was the epidural. I don’t know if you’ve ever had an epidural. But it’s not just a simple needle in/needle out/instant pain relief kind of thing.

It’s. A. Process.

Especially when it’s being done by a resident who has no idea what he’s doing and has to repeatedly stick the damn thing in this poor woman’s back to try to locate her intervertebral disc. I guess the fifty first time is a charm. Who knew.

All I know is that I almost strangled him. (I was on the verge of passing out. And desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m pretty sure I could have done a better job anyway. I’m good with my hands.) So imagine how the patient and her husband must have felt.

The end result being. That I’m less than enthused about the prospect of ever being pregnant. Because there is no way that I am ever letting anyone come near my cerebrospinal fluid with that needle. At least not at a teaching hospital. Or unless I have the anesthesiologist sign a contract saying that if he doesn’t get it right on the first try. I’m allowed to cut off his outer limbs. Seems like a fair deal.

That being said. Dear mom. Thank you for enduring 20+ hours of labor to have me. In return. Here is a recipe that I think dad and Daniel might actually eat. And that, honestly, I actually thought was some kind of wonderful as well.

NOTES – The original recipe called for veal chops. However. I am poor. And definitely don’t have the money to pay $22.00 a pound for anything. Unless it is lined with gold. Or really good chocolate. I also added capers. Because everything tastes better with capers.

This is my submission to this week’s Symon Sundays! Check out Ashlee’s blog on Monday to see how everyone else’s dish turned out!

Also. Lest I forget. Regional Recipes. Due by February 28th at midnight. Middle Eastern food. See here for details.

You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.

84 Responses to Pork Chop Milanese with Arugula Salad

Ha ha! Trust me, when you are in the situation, you will be begging for the epidural dude to come relieve you. After my first, I would attack any pregnant woman and insist they have an epidural. I wanted to get a t-shirt with I Love Epidurals on it. The worst part is when they tell you to stay completely still through a mind blowing contraction! Ya right!

I hardly ever have pork chops with the bone, actually, I’ve never bought them in my whole life, only had them when I lived at home and it was not a good result. Ever. These look delicious!

omiGod,i’m right over seven oceans but yet wanna strangle the resident here :-)))))But then medical schools are like this arent they?sad but how will the resident learn then ?sometimes patients dont fancy their bp taken way too many times too and well maybe all that can help is a sunshine smile….Well sure wouldn let a resident ,sr or jr. for that matter :-))) ,to come even 200 mtrs with a needle ,leave alone epidural near my cerebrospinal fluid or I.V. disc…no way…Ok now if its the H.O.D,and SR> lecturer we are in safe hands arent we?

thats where the birthing centre comes and i feel i should open one myself someday and do all the sweet pregnant young ladies ,including myself(when i am someday) a fav…..a good natured Gynac (female dear) on duty and light excercise classes and bath tubs and warm water with soothing candles and rose petals and a soft bed with dimmed lights for u to celebrate with hubby dear after birth…sure will need some hot choclate then …so a little kettle and pantyr there:-)))))Whew!!!!!!And yeah my mom had a labour too and i love to hold her on the waist tight and feel the warmth of my first home and cheers to that love the though of ur fantastically wonderful recipe here…..

I was completely on board for an Epidural with my 1st. Sorry ladies, there’s nothing appealing about natural labor and it does not make you a better mother. I do, however, vividly remember the doctor mentioning to me (after the 3rd poke) that my spine was curved…um, thanks for mentioning this when I’m already nervous and in pain, and at your mercy!! No bed side manor.

My second baby was breech, so I had to have a C Section, and thus a spinal. THAT was scary. You’re completely paralyzed and you don’t get the feeling back in your legs and toes for several hours.

Luckily, I had easy labors and deliveries. The end result for both kids was fine and they will drive me nuts for years to come 😉

natural is the best way but i’ve had one emergency c section and one planned. the first one was great but the second one was a nightmare. my doctor was teaching an inexperienced and nervous intern to give the epidural with that long and thin needle.

I have pork chops in my freezer and now I know what I am going to do with them! Oh yours look so good! I have had 3 epidurals, one for each pregnancy and had no problems with them. I barely even felt the needle. Although I’m sure had a resident stuck me a number of times, I wouldn’t be saying this. I don’t think I would let a resident near me (for that type of procedure anyway). Too scary. It also helps I’m sure that I never look at what will be sticking me. No clue what the needle looks like and I plan and on keeping it that way.

I need to get my a$$ over and get me some chops. another meat cut that I have never tried cooking! Looks delish!I never had any issue with the epidurals (x2), but I’m cringing at your account of the resident. They let residents do them?????? I’m surprised the woman didn’t rip his head off at trial #51. I had more problems with the doctors yanking off all the tape and gunk that they plaster on you – fancy getting a BACK WAX while you are in labor?

I had to laugh about the intern sticking the poor woman as I had my fair share of those while in the hospital with hyperemesis with my pregnancies. I always got the one who would insert the IV into the muscle of my hand or just couldn’t find the vein. Talk about wanting to pass out! Needless to say, I refused an epidural just because it involved yet another needle and my spinal area!There is nothing like pork milanese. I always serve it with a simple yet gorgeous salad such as yours, so your photo and recipe has my mouth watering! Lovely!

Ugh, I hate it when they screw up needle stuff. I used to work in a hospital doing transport and I would often have to wait while a resident tried to do something repeatedly. I suppose I didn’t have to actually watch, but I’m a curious guy and I like learning things. Heh.

I have had two and both times I loved the doctor that did it. They both had terrific bedside manner and they got it right the first time so it was easy. The part I didn’t like was the electrical shock feeling I got as it was wearing off. That was a creepy feeling.

This is one of my girls’ favorites…of course with out the green stuff…I love the green stuff. Your pictures are gorgeous!

I had two C-sections, epidurals, the works…the first wasn’t too bad it was un planned section the second one didn’t start off so well…I simply told the guy with the needle, after he missed 3 times to get the hell out and send someone in who knew what the hell they were doing. Sometimes they have to realize that the woman with the big belly is really in charge 😉

Joanne, I’ll have to say…..after 3 kids: 2 born in Nigeria (where epidurals are not first choice) and 1 in the Netherlands, where no form of pain relief is offered….and having heard stories from the US about epidurals and almost instant pain relief…I would say, don’t worry. Where ever you are, you’ll be fine.

I had epidurals for the first two, and not for the third. Made almost no difference. I think the second epidural wrecked something in my back. I can’t imagine having a student poking around in there, amazing she isn’t paralyzed for life. For number three I had the 50/50 nitrous. Much more fun. You get to controll it yourself. I did Frank Booth impersonations from Blue Velvet. Might have alarmed the nurses a bit..

Great chops! You did a wonderful job on this challenge – so delicious!

As far as the whole giving birth thing – I can’t believe how doctors rush things these days! C sections are so common now and so much harder to recover from, and lets not even go any further about the needle in the spine, the thought of that always really scared me. Natural is the way to go 🙂

Oh crap the epidural thing really does not make me want to have kids. One of my co-workers has 2 kids. The first one took 10 hours of labor. The second one took half an hour. She told me she preferred to give birth to the first one than the second…

I do love your pork chop recipe. The bone adds so much flavor to the meat 🙂

okay i need to take photo lessons from you! everything you make looks great! and i'[m sure TASTES GREAT!

microscopic sweet taters- tasty. my mom says they are “sweeter”. then again, she was also the one who says don’t eat too much pineapple since it will BURN YOUR STOMACH (it’s a fire fruit….yeah)i am floudering without a routine. it’s crippling.

dude, i gained some weight (lumpy in areas) due to NOT COUNTING NUTS. so i totally understand.

Your pics are so vibrant, Joanne! That is a gorgeously golden crust on that chop! I agree, I’m a little scared of the whole giving birth thing myself! (I can totally see how that video would be the best method of birth control, lol! 😉 )

I had TWO emergency c-sections with very painful spinal blocks for both. It’s terribly painful and healing from the c-secion is brutal too but you forget all of that when you hold your baby in your arms. It’s worth it!!!

I am the biggest wimp in the world and I honestly don’t remember what it was like when they gave me the epidural. Go figure. It has been 20 years! I still remember them breaking my water with my first and the 10 hours of labor though! This pork recipe sounds amazing! Yum-Yum!!!

Ha! It is a case here where ignorance is bliss. I did not know a thing about being pregnant and so I never imagine the pain I was to endure (I did it the “natural” way)The second time I asked for all the drugs on the maternity floor plus some at the hospital across the streetLove those pork chops and the arugula, although I miss the potatoes to round out the ensemble!

Happy Birthday Joanne! Trust me when I say the minute your mother saw you, anything she went through was worth it!

I had two of my three with an epidural. Thank God there was not a resident in sight! Anyway, I was in such pain, I barely even noticed it. What I did notice, oddly enough, were all the needles they tried to stick in my arm (they couldn’t find a vein) for glucose.

I distinctly remember The Miracle of Life, and while it’s not the only reason that I’ve never been pregnant, I don’t doubt that it played a small part. I think that was when I started questioning my desire to be a doctor (a “real” one), too :). I’m sure it’ll get easier to watch and the thought of giving birth yourself will become at least slightly more tolerable, and I’m glad that there are people out there who are willing to see it every day!

Oh I so remember that movie. Never put two and two together on why I’m not having children. But I think you’re probably right. or at least that’s what I can tell people now when they ask…yes, they still rudely ask 🙂

I was pretty reluctant to ever have kids myself, and a skiing accident in my youth resulted in the c-section being strongly advised if not required. The epidural was not fun, I’ll admit, but I had a great anesthesiologist (who’d had two before, for the same reasons) and it was over with quickly. Don’t let the epidural turn you off. (Let the late nights filled with a screaming little tyrant who can’t tell you how to please her turn you off.)

omg, i hear ya girl. Im so super scared to ever have a kid. The whole process seems so frightening! And the epidural…aaaahhh! Sticking anything into my back seems like the most unpleasant experience ever. I totally understand that people have to learn but if I ever have to get that done I want to most skilled person they have! ha! But at least these awesome food photos totally cheered me up!!=) GOrgeous and amazing as usualy my dear. I so hope you are making a big huge cookbook. Id so buy it=) Have a fabulous day sweetie!

I have experienced both natural labor and epidural..I would recommend epidural, not because I don’t love my baby, but I didn’t find any harm with it and I am happy that I got one this last time 😀The pic is a treat and looks too good..Wish you a very happy B’day !

Um, ew. A real live C-section? I just lost my appetite (thank god for you lovely Pork Chop Milanese to stir it back up).In the danger of sounding absolutely selfish and immature…I NEVER WANT TO HAVE A BabY!!! Why do I wanna suffer hours and hours of horrible pain and sweat and humiliation (legs spread wide to the world, hellllooo?) just to give birth to a bratty kid who will probably give me even more grief and hate me when she’s a teenager?

LOL been there, done that. long story short…ended up with a c section anyway. I tried. I swear! LOL (in my defense, my 1st was natural…no meds no nothing. that was before I knew better).and you milanese looks wonderful! and a lot easier than giving birth 😀

Don’t tell me, I can’t have a C section because the anesthesiologist was nowhere to be found, when I heard that I wanted to kill them all… and sometimes I still want to!I hope one day my baby will dedicate a recipe to me for this too, well done!

Okay, I am a few days late, but Happy Birthday! Sorry I missed the party. I don’t remember the epidural being bad, but the anesthesiologist was a pro. No C-section for me (we’ve got big birthing hips in my family).